Why Deadpool Worked As A Comedy, According To Ryan Reynolds

With 2016 quickly coming to a close, now is the time where we recap the year's movies and various lists of best and worst are made. And one blockbuster is sure to be on every "best" list: Deadpool. The Ryan Reynolds led superhero movie absolutely shattered expectations when it hit theaters in February 12th, making an outstanding $782.6 million and becoming a critical darling. But how exactly did a fourth wall breaking R-rated Superhero flick become the biggest sleeper hit of 2016, especially with the myriad superhero movies that were released this year? Star and producer Ryan Reynolds has a theory.

Ryan Reynolds recently sat down with the good folks at The Hollywood Reporter. During this conversation, Reynolds revealed why he thinks Deadpool was as successful as it was, saying:

The best comedy, in my opinion, has to be grounded in some form of truth. The character Deadpool is my alter ego. I don't want to sound esoteric, but I can channel that guy in a way I just can't seem to channel anything else. In terms of his sensibilities and certainly his sense of humor, I feel like we were born at the end of the same spectrum. It's a very odd situation. I wouldn't characterize it as an easy role to play because the great hoax of Deadpool is that there's actually great dramatic tension that surrounds all of the comedy in the movie. I don't think we could have gotten those comedic payoffs if audiences weren't invested emotionally in the character. When the movie opened, we'd start to hear people say, 'That was the funniest movie I've ever seen.'

There you go, ladies and gents. Deadpool is a glorious mixture of Ryan Reynolds' personality, and a story that the audience actually cares about. Considering the ridiculous nature of the source material, achieving the latter is no easy feat.

To start, Deadpool and Ryan Reynolds obviously had the comedic chops to make droves of audiences laugh. Reynolds has a ton of comedy credits under his belt, including Waiting... and Just Friends. And because of the nature of Deadpool and his intense involvement, Ryan Reynolds was also able to fly off the cuff and create moments that weren't necessarily on the page. Reynolds had been trying to get the movie produced for years, and had clearly become so familiar with Wade Wilson that he was able to embody him with ease and play during his scenes.

Then there's the personal story. Rather than the convoluted journey that many superhero movies usually make, Deadpool has a simple concept. The title character wants to reconnect with his girlfriend, but must first rescue her from some superpowered a-holes. He's joined by two X-Men, and hilarity ensues.

Now we look ahead to Deadpool 2, which has had a rocky journey in its development so far. Stay here with CinemaBlend for all your updates.